The Markt and Nieuwe Kerk

The square at the centre of Delft

The Markt is Delft’s big rectangular heart, and you will cross it again and again on any visit. The Renaissance Stadhuis (town hall) closes one end, the Nieuwe Kerk rises at the other, and cafe terraces line both long sides — a fine place to sit with a coffee or a beer and watch the town go by. The square itself is free and open at all hours; the church is the ticketed part.

For all the grand exterior, the Nieuwe Kerk’s interior is fairly plain in the sober Dutch Protestant style. People come for one thing above all: the ornate tomb of William of Orange, founder of the Dutch royal line, and below it the royal crypt where the House of Orange-Nassau is still laid to rest. A combined ticket covering both the Nieuwe Kerk and the older Oude Kerk across town runs around €11; check the official site for current hours and prices, as Sunday and winter opening are reduced.

Climb the tower

The real reward is the tower. The climb is a tight, steep spiral of 376 steps — not one for anyone short of breath or knees — but the payoff is the best inexpensive view in Delft: out over the canal-laced old town and, on a clear day, across the flat polder to Den Haag and Rotterdam. It costs roughly €5 on top of the church ticket, and it is the standout of the whole visit.

Budget about an hour to ninety minutes for the church and tower together. Pair it with the square’s terraces and the short walk to the Oude Kerk, and you have an easy, good-value morning in the centre. Just be honest with yourself about those stairs before you commit.